Spring 2010 Pathways Magazine Launch Features David L. Cohen of Comcast Corporation and The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce

PHILADELPHIA, April. 21, 2010 —Community College of Philadelphia will unveil the spring 2010 issue of Pathways Magazine, which features an interview and profile of David L. Cohen, executive vice president of Comcast Corporation and chairman of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, at 8 a.m., Thursday, April 22, Room C2-5, in the Center for Business and Industry, 18th and Callowhill streets.

This sixth issue of Pathways will highlight the challenge of surviving and thriving in the new economy. Cohen, who was interviewed for the cover story, enthusiastically supports the College’s role in providing skilled workers for Philadelphia employers. Cohen will speak at the bi-annual breakfast.

“I have a real passion for Community College of Philadelphia,” Cohen told Pathways writer Anthony Twyman. Cohen is familiar with the College’s achievements through his wife Rhonda R. Cohen, Esq., who is a member and former chair of the College’s Board of Trustees. Just as Comcast needs workers with updated skills, hundreds of employers in Greater Philadelphia are requiring their workers to have new skills that fit the times and the technology. This is why education is absolutely crucial to Philadelphia improving its standing in the region, nation and world, according to Cohen.

Cohen said the College provides an important bridge to four-year colleges and universities and an important bridge for laid-off employees, such as the workers who lost their jobs in the 1990s when the federal government closed its ship building operations at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. “Community College of Philadelphia was integral in the transition of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard,” said Cohen, who was chief of staff for Philadelphia mayor, now Pennsylvania Governor, Edward G. Rendell from January 1992 to April 1997.

Today, Cohen uses his wealth of contacts and passion for Philadelphia to solidify and broaden the reach of Comcast, the nation’s largest cable television company. The Philadelphia-based behemoth has 23.8 million cable subscribers, 7.4 million digital voice customers, 15.7 million high-speed customers and more than 100,000 employees. Its multi-layered holdings include the Philadelphia 76ers and the Flyers, as well as The Wachovia Center.

Comcast’s demand for an educated and technologically savvy workforce mirrors that of the Philadelphia region as a whole. However, only 20 percent of Philadelphians have college degrees, according to recent studies; this despite the fact that studies also show students with at least a two-year degree earn much more than students who only finish high school.

Cohen believes the regions that will thrive in the 21st century are those that best harness their strengths and add to those strengths the element of diversity, both in the cultural and economic aspects of their workforce. He appreciates that Mayor Nutter and President Obama are strong supporters of education.